FORESTRY IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. 253 



Of deciduous trees the prevailing species are the beech, the oak, and the birch, 

 together about 87 per cent, of the whole; the alder, the chestnut, the elm, 

 the poplar, the maple, the aspen, and basswood divide the rest among them- 

 selves. 



OWNERSHIP. 



The forests of Bohemia are officially classified, according to ownership, as 

 follows : Forests belonging to large domains, 920,458 hectares ; small proprie- 

 tors, 277,810 hectares; common and corporate forests, 276,250 hectares. 



The category of large domains embraces all estates of entail and in fief or 

 feudal estates, and all such allodial estates as contain over 115 hectares. 



The category of small proprietors includes allodial estates whose area is 

 less tlian 115 hectares. 



In the category of common and corporate forests are included those forests 

 which are the property of communes and of the church, and also such as be- 

 long to schools, endowments and foundations. Of this class of forest about 

 70,000 hectares belong to churches, convents, and bishoprics; whereas 

 schools hold only 1,148 hectares; different endowments, 29,273 hectares, and 

 the rest belongs to communes. 



There are no forests in Bohemia owned by the state, excepting the domain 

 of Joachimsthal, with an area of 5,470 hectares under forest. 



COMMON FORESTS. 



In some parts of Bohemia the common forests were devastated in former 

 years through bad economy. No attention was paid to their renewal by cul- 

 tivation ; on the contrary, the ground was used for common pasture, making 

 the natural regeneration of the forest through seeding an impossibility. Re- 

 cently, by order of the government, forest culture upon such devastated areas 

 has again made a start, and they are subject to the supervision of the imperial 

 authorities, while the forest bureaus of adjacent large domains have taken 

 voluntary charge of the management of such forest cultivation. 



Common forests cover an area of a little over 180,000 hectares. The 

 city of Pisek stands at the head of the communes possessing forests, being 

 the owner of 5,763 hectares of forest land in good copdition. Bergreichen- 

 stein comes next with 4,700 hectares; Pilsen, Elbogen and Joachimsthal hold 

 over 3,000 hectares each. Other communes have less than that amount of 

 forest land. 



The population enjoys only very limited privileges in common forests. 

 On certain days, usually twice a week, the poor are allowed to gather scrawls 

 and dry branches lying on the ground, but they must not break any twigs or 

 branches or use carts or any kind of vehicle for the purpose. For this slight 

 privilege they are frequently required'to help in the spring about a week in 

 the work of forest planting without pay. The picking of mushrooms in for- 

 ests is generally tolerated, but the raking of leaves for litter is not permitted, 

 they being left to rot in the woods and serve as manure. 



